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Lambrecht Chevrolet auction: the best project cars

1 of 8This 1957 Chevrolet was one of the best starting points for a restoration, and its mileage will permit this.

Photo by Jay Ramey

2 of 8This 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air looked like it didn't need a whole lot of work.

Photo by Jay Ramey

3 of 8This was another 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air that could be brought back relatively easily.

Photo by Jay Ramey

4 of 8This 1956 Chevrolet station wagon was one of the better buys in the sale, and we're sure it'll be restored.

Photo by Jay Ramey

5 of 8This 1961 Chevrolet Bel Air sedan looked largely complete.

Photo by Jay Ramey

6 of 8This 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne two door sedan was on the rougher side, but still a solid project buy.

Photo by Jay Ramey

7 of 8This 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air two door sedan was one of the better project cars we saw at Lambrecht.

Photo by Jay Ramey

8 of 8Another great project car was this 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne sedan.

Photo by Jay Ramey

While the Lambrecht Chevrolet auction was full of low-mileage cars and trucks, those weren't the vehicles the project-car hunters were after, and those won't be the vehicles that'll be restored. Sure, someone might restore a low-mileage example to better-than-new condition and then take it to Arizona in January, but it's the cars with tens of thousands of miles on their odometers that we really want to see shine. And not as they're pushed across the block by a dozen auction staff a few months from now.

Today we're going to take a look at the passenger cars from the Lambrecht Chevrolet cache that caught our eye, and the ones that we thought would make the best starting points for restorations. If a lot of these appear to be from the same year, that's because a lot of 1959 Chevrolet sedans were apparently pickled by Ray Lambrecht.

This 1961 Chevrolet Bel Air sedan caught our eye as soon as we stepped on to the field just outside of Pierce. This teal blue sedan had a 283 V8 underhood mated to an automatic transmission, and with 38,000 miles on the odometer, it looked like a perfect starting point for a restoration. Obviously a car that Ray Lambrecht had taken in as a trade, this one appears to have spent most of its life outside. The only body damage we noted was on the body panels below the front bumper, but that's not anything that can't be replaced. The most amazing part was that this car barely had any rust on the door sills. The interior looked complete, and more importantly, it didn't look like raccoons from all over the county partied in it (which is more than could be said for some other cars). This sedan brought $8,000, and it's easy to see why: virtually no body damage, a tidy interior, low (but not too low you couldn't restore it) miles, and Lambrecht provenance thrown in for good measure. One of the best project-car buys in the whole sale, as far as we're concerned.

This 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air two door sedan was one of the better project cars we saw at Lambrecht. Photo by Jay Ramey

Another impressive project car was this 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air two-door sedan. This one had 55,292 miles on it, and sitting opposite the MSO cars, it had gathered quite a crowd. Another midmileage car that seems to have been taken in as a trade (though it wasn't stated whether the car was originally sold by Lambrecht Chevrolet), this car greeted visitors near the entrance to the field. Equipped with a 283 V8 and an automatic transmission, this car's blue-gray interior appeared very complete and wasn't even all that dusty. We knew from the start that this one would draw some serious bids, because the work that needed to be done could be performed by an experienced shop with its eyes closed, so it was no surprise when this car brought in a whopping $18,000. Certainly in the top 25 percent as far as bid amount went, but very restorable with its mileage. Another one of the best project buys in the auction, we're just hoping it doesn't end up overdone at Arizona in January.

This 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne two door sedan was on the rougher side, but still a solid project buy. Photo by Jay Ramey

Right next to the 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air above was this black over red 1959 Biscayne two-door sedan with unstated mileage. This one appeared rougher than the red sedan above, but it was in the same general vicinity of the condition spectrum. The interior had a sagging headliner, and seats didn't look much better. A tougher project to tackle than the car above. The worst thing we saw here were the rusted floors and the slightly wavier panels. This one still brought serious money at $7,500, though perhaps a bargain once the buyer pays for the restoration.

Another great project car was this 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne sedan. Photo by Jay Ramey

If the Biscayne above wasn't your cup of Pabst Blue Ribbon, there were still plenty of Biscaynes left on the field in just about any color or condition you wanted. It all depended on how hard of a project you wanted to take home. This 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne had apparently been blinded by looters between the time when the auction company prepared the cars for sale and auction day. Auction staff did note that some cars had been lightly looted recently, so apparently we underestimated the value of 1959 Chevy Biscayne headlights. This car had another problem. It had 3 miles on the odometer. For restorers and collectors, this would present quite a conundrum. Is this one of the lowest mileage Biscaynes in existence? Yes. Do you want it to always be in this condition? We certainly didn't, and we're sure others had felt bad for the car. This Biscayne had a six-cylinder engine along with a three-speed manual transmission, but that didn't stop bidders from bidding it up to $11,000. At least buy its headlights back; perhaps they're being held for ransom on eBay right now.

This was another 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air that could be brought back relatively easily. Photo by Jay Ramey

Another lot that had lost its eyesight along the way was this 1959 Chevrolet Impala four-door sedan, but this car's headlights were inside the car. This Impala had just 2 miles on the odometer, and presented a similar problem as the lot above: preserve or restore? We're not sure if the presence of the V8 and an automatic transmission made this a more appealing buy, as it did bring $19,000. We're not sure if it would have brought more if it had north of 1,000 miles on the clock, as it would surely receive a restoration. But here it's a toss up. A good buy at $19,000 for a project car with Lambrecht provenance, but an expensive paperweight if it stays unrestored. This one may be robust enough to receive a mechanical restoration and be kept as-is cosmetically, if the owner wants to preserve its originality but not its mileage.

This 1956 Chevrolet station wagon was one of the better buys in the sale, and we're sure it'll be restored. Photo by Jay Ramey

This was one of the best-kept 1950s Chevrolets in the whole auction, and being a wagon, a rare one at that. This 1956 Chevrolet 210 station wagon with a 265 V8 and a three-speed manual transmission on the column and with 92,785 miles looked good on the outside, but its floor had rusted out and there was further rust in the wheel arches. There was plenty of surface rust to go around, but for the most part, its paint was still going strong. Some of the interior seemed salvageable. At $5,500, this was a good buy, as it's an example that's ready to be restored, and unlike many other cars in this condition in the sale, it didn't hail from the malaise era. So when it's done, it doesn't have to be explained to anybody. The restoration should be pretty straightforward, and the car's panels still looked pretty straight.

This 1957 Chevrolet was one of the best starting points for a restoration, and its mileage will permit this. Photo by Jay Ramey

The lot above seemed like a bargain compared to what lot #7L here brought. This 1957 Chevrolet had a 283 V8 with an automatic transmission, and 47,377 miles on the clock. This one had been kept inside the dealership, so we have that to thank for its preservation. There wasn't as much surface rust as there was stuccoed dirt, which coated it quite nicely. The panel gaps were good, and there didn't appear to be anything missing. This car brought $37,500, being a much more desirable model in collector circles, in contrast with the 1956 station wagon above, which demonstrated that market forces, instead of auction fever, still had a role to play at Lambrecht. This car might clean up nicely as to not require a cosmetic restoration, so it may end up being enjoyed as-is after it's cleaned up. A lot of money, but still well bought.

About the Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction

On Sept. 28-29 roughly 500 "new old" cars from Lambrecht Chevrolet in Pierce, Neb., went across the auction block. Autoweek was there to cover the sale and to preserve a sample of the dust on the dealership floor for scientific study. Check out our Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction page for all our past updates and complete coverage from the auction, or follow us on Twitter @autoweekusa or Facebook.